1.6 Million people, mostly children, die every year from disease related to unclean water and poor sanitation. Life Force Kiosks, a non-profit operating in Kenya, was formed to help provide clean water to all.

Disaster averted

As my time in Nairobi comes to a close, I’d like to remind everyone who’s traveling abroad (and at major cities at home) to always be careful. In three days I had two close calls here in Nairobi. First, a few days ago, someone tried to steal my watch while I was in a car. I was in traffic with the window rolled down, and a guy reached in and tried to yank my watch right off my wrist. Fortunately, he didn’t get the watch, though he did break the strap.

President Kibaki's motorcade

Then today I was at a Madaraka Day (Independence Day) celebration at the Nyayo National Stadium with another volunteer and a Kenyan. Halfway through, the Kenyan insisted that we get up and leave. Apparently he noticed a group of six men who had gathered around us and were studying us quite intently. Eventually, he saw one of the guys take something resembling a knife out of his bag and he gave it to the person next to us, who slipped it in his sock. That’s when we decided it was best to get out of there. Unfortunately, out of respect to the president, the police lock everyone inside the stadium until after the event is over. It was like a mosh pit as we waited by the locked gate with the couple hundred other people trying to leave. We were lucky to eventually get out of there with our cameras, wallets, and non-punctured skin. The event was interesting, but more stressful than I needed at this point in the trip.

Is that a bazooka?

I’m getting ready to head out to Cairo and then Istanbul for a bit, but I will continue to post updates on the two water projects plus any interesting travel stories, so be sure to check back in regularly. I’ll also continue to post various travel pictures from the rest of the trip.